RIYADH: Authorities in Saudi Arabia said on Thursday they foiled an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of khat into the Kingdom.

Border Guards spokesman Lt. Col. Misfer Al-Quraini said that as part of ongoing operations to combat drug smuggling in the the Kingdom, land patrols from the Damad Center in the Al-Dair sector in Jazan were able to thwart an attempt to smuggle 825 kilograms of the narcotic substance.

Al-Quraini said the khat was hidden in a water tanker that was being driven by a Yemeni national, who was violating the the border security system.

He added that legal procedures have been completed, and the khat was seized and handed over to the concerned authority.